【September 21st-24th Yame Fukushima’s Toro Ningyo Festival】

For three days during the time of the autumnal equinox, a lantern puppet performance takes place at Fukushima Hachiman Shrine, just a 1-minute walk from Craft Inn Te. This “Toro Ningyo Festival” is a folk performance that reflects the landscape and history of Yame and has been preserved and passed down by the common people since the Edo period for the last 280 years.

In late August, a three-tiered lantern puppet stage is constructed in the Shrine’s precincts. Musicians sit on the upper part of the three-tiered stage while puppets dance on the second level. Puppet masters operate the puppets from both sides of the stage as well as from below.

The seating area is located on the remains of the stone wall of the former Fukushima Castle which is shingled with boulders to resemble an open-air viewing platform. Visitors can sit on chairs set up on the stone wall or on the road leading up to the shrine. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come basis. Please arrive early and see the show of your choice (schedule below).

Enjoy the lively nighttime atmosphere of Yame Fukushima and this autumn festival that has continued since the Edo period. We look forward to seeing you there!

<Performance Schedule>
Opening Show: September 21 (Thursday)
20:00~
Main Performance: September 22-24 (Friday – Sunday)
1st: 13:30~
2nd: 15:00~
3rd: 16:30~
4th: 19:00~
5th: 20:30~

Admission free, unreserved seats (first-come basis)

<Parking Information>
The parking lot in the precincts of Fukushima Hachiman Shrine will be unavailable as it will be used for stalls.
Please use the nearby parking lot on the west side of the Traditional Crafts Museum.
(Guests of Craft Inn Te may use the Inn’s Guest Parking Lot.)

<More about the Festival>
Notice of 2023 Performances (Yame City Hall)
Yame Fukushima’s Lantern Dolls Festival Pamphlet (Yame City Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Division, published in 2014)

<Craft Inn Te Availability During the Performance Period>
September 21: Bamboo Room, Washi Room
September 22: Indigo Room, Bamboo Room, Washi Room
September 23: Bamboo Room, Washi Room
September 24: Bamboo Room, Washi Room

Please make reservations through main Craft Inn Te website here.